Jazz legends pay surprise tribute to DeJohnette in Woodstock

Mouths agape and eyes wide with wonder, the assembled hundreds at Woodstock's Bearsville Theater Sunday night were astounded by the musical menagerie on stage.

Timothy Malcolm

Mouths agape and eyes wide with wonder, the assembled hundreds at Woodstock's Bearsville Theater Sunday night were astounded by the musical menagerie on stage.

First, that menagerie. Collected by Teri Roiger and John Menegon - the founders of the local live jazz effort Jazzstock - the musicians celebrated Jack DeJohnette, the consummate jazz timekeeper, the royal "we" of rhythm, the Ulster County legend who's played with Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett - heck, name him or her, and Jack's been there.

His friends paying tribute and celebrating his 70th birthday, DeJohnette did it all Sunday night; he sat behind a keyboard, he took hands to a melodica, and he played his drums like a pacing 25-year-old, prepared to pounce as part of a manic solo that served as the tribute show's climax.

But let's rewind. The show's primary band, per say, was led - although she denied being the leader - by Terri Lyne Carrington, a gifted drummer and student of DeJohnette's. She brought a group of hungry young lions who provided a boisterous electricity to an old-school 1970s vibe of jazz. One of those lions happened to be the night's first unbelievable surprise guest: Grammy winner and bassist extraordinaire Esperanza Spalding. Carrington announced Spalding as "TBA," and boy, was she worth the uncertain print. Spalding grinned as she and her peers brought down the house on DeJohnette's "Silver Hollow." Carrington was on point, pulsating while also pulling back, the kind of performance echoing DeJohnette's best work with Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock.

The second major surprise of the night came in the form of vocal master Bobby McFerrin, who provided a luscious run of vocal ticks in "Silver Hollow." He ad-libbed a birthday message to DeJohnette while adding his unique vocals to a dual saxophone frontage.

A major highlight came with the arrival of Joe Lovano, saxophone master and New Windsor resident. He brought the roof off the Bearsville with his performance, thundering into the theater like a tenacious storm. He had Carrington's young guitarist beside himself. Later, wife Judi Silvano made an appearance, adding a warm set of vocal runs to a dynamic performance led by a number of saxophonists, including Lovano and Ravi Coltrane.

Still, the biggest cheer of the night came with DeJohnette's one-of-a-kind solo. While major players kept the stage - and the surrounding crowd - sweating hot, it was the consummate jazz timekeeper who made the night explode.

More on the show, including an in-depth look at players involved, in Tuesday's Times Herald-Record.

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